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Required texts

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Course overview

We will examine stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and minority experience from a social psychological perspective.  In other words, we will examine the phenomena and processes associated with one’s beliefs about members of social groups (stereotypes), attitudes and evaluative responses toward group members (prejudice), and behaviors toward members of a social group based on their group status (discrimination).  Also, we will study how these issues impact the experiences of social group members, especially when they are members of low status or minority groups.  Because this is a course in social psychology, we will approach these issues wearing the hat of an experimental social psychologist.  Thus, rather than relying on anecdotal evidence, cultural truisms, sociological explanations, or philosophical orientations to address these issues, we will focus on experiments and theory that focus on understanding individual-level processes and behavior and their causes.

Discussing topics such as stereotypes, prejudice, and the experiences of minority group members can be tricky because these issues are, for many, intertwined with important self-relevant experiences, political ideologies, and personal identities.  Sometimes, these topics lead to emotionally-charged discussions and debates, or at the other extreme, these topics are often skirted in order to avoid violating norms of political correctness.  In this class, we will engage these topics directly, but respectfully, in order to explore important mechanisms and theory that underlie stereotyping, prejudice, and minority experience.

This course has several important goals: 

•   First, students will develop an in-depth and integrative understanding of how approaching the issues of stereotyping, prejudice, and minority experience from a social psychological perspective improves our understanding of human behavior.

•   Also, students will learn how theory helps to frame issues associated with stereotypes, prejudice, and minority experience, and learn how research that examines these issues speak to basic psychological theory.

•   Moreover, the course should highlight the value of thinking about issues that for many people involve important self-relevant identities and political ideologies from a scientific perspective.  The purpose of this class is to engage thinking about issues involving stereotyping and prejudice, not to proselytize others to a particular worldview or to be a vehicle for further anyone’s political or personal agendas.

Four exams (mostly essay and short answer) will be administered periodically during the course.  The first three are in-term exams and are not cumulative, but the final exam is cumulative in nature.  The exams will focus primarily on the readings, class discussions, and course lectures.  Although the exam material will primarily reflect what is discussed in class, material that is assigned but not discussed in class is fair game.  However, exams will never assess trivial aspects of the readings.  The primary purpose of the exams is to assess how well students are learning and integrating the readings and class discussions.  Their focus is primarily on research findings and relevant theories more so than on applications, but some application questions will be asked.

 

Real-world analysis projects

During the semester, each student will explore a real-world event or phenomenon that is germane to the issues discussed in this class.  In three different analysis projects, they will report on how our readings and discussion on stereotyping (Report 1), prejudice (Report 2), and minority experience (Report 3) shed light on this topic.  These projects are individual projects (i.e., they are not group projects), and they must be conducted individually.  Each student must identify an event or phenomenon (either present or historical) and examine it in all three reports.  For example, one may investigate the 2001 race riots in Cincinnati, movements in California to overturn Affirmative-Action hiring practices in state-supported institutions, or attempts to advocate or prohibit official recognition of same-sex marriages and unions.  These projects, however, must focus on a discrete event or movement (e.g., the freedom riders) rather than an overarching movement (e.g., the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s).  The purpose of the real-world analysis projects is to provide students with an opportunity to apply theory and findings from the course to a concrete, real-world situation of import.  Students are expected to pick a topic that is meaningful to them, and they should select a topic that they feel comfortable discussing with others because their reports will be part of a semester-long class bulletin board on stereotyping, prejudice, and minority experience issues.  When students choose a topic, they assume any responsibility for potential embarrassment or self-focused attention that their project brings to them.  The instructor must approve the topic (by e-mail) no later than Tuesday, January 14.

Throughout the semester, students will prepare one page project reports (details to be provided) that explain how materials from the current unit speak to the topic under exploration.  In other words, students are to look for ways to integrate theories and research findings discussed in class toward evaluating and explaining the topic they are examining.

 

Quizzes

During the course of the semester, short pop quizzes (10 total) on assigned readings will be administered to reward students for keeping up with their readings.  They will not be difficult.  If students do their reading, this will be the easiest 10% of the grade.  They will be administered at the very beginning of class.  If students are late to class or are sick, they cannot make them up (even with a documented excuse).

 

Academic integrity:  Any act of academic dishonesty (including, but not limited to, lying, cheating, plagiarism) will not be tolerated and will be punished to the fullest extent in accordance with Miami University policy on academic misconduct (see Sections 501-507 of Undergraduate Academic Regulations, 2002-2003 Student Handbook).  Any evidence of academic misconduct by a group of students will be considered academic misconduct by all parties involved.

 

Assignments:  Assignment due dates are posted in the syllabus, and they are due at the end of the regularly-scheduled class period (i.e., an assignment is late if handed in later in the day after class).  In essence, this syllabus serves as a contract between the instructor and students.  The instructor reserves the right to alter the syllabus at any time as warranted.  However, the instructor will make such revisions at least one week ahead of a particular due date if it entails making assignments due at an earlier date.  Any alterations will be announced in class.  Although such arrangements will be communicated in advance, it is the student’s responsibility to attend to these announcements.  Students who do not attend class assume the responsibility for missing alterations to the course.

 

Special considerations:  In situations where special and documented circumstances require that a student not take an exam during a scheduled time (e.g., arrangements for disabled students, being a member of an athletic team that has an official obligation during class time, religious observance), special arrangements can be made to accommodate such needs.  However, students in these situations must make these arrangements with the instructor at the beginning of the semester and provide official documentation regarding these circumstances.

 

Course notes:  Attending class and taking notes are each student’s responsibility.  The instructor will lend out notes under any circumstances.  If students miss a class, ask classmates to borrow their notes.

 

Classroom conduct:  While in the classroom, people are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and civil manner.  It is quite all right (and downright encouraged) for people to express their opinions and beliefs in an impassioned fashion.  It is quite another thing, however, to be disrespectful or rude to students or to the instructor.  It is fine to disagree with others, and it is okay to express non-PC (politically correct) views.  However, disrespectful conduct will not be accepted.  Disagreeing with others is fine and expected, but being disagreeable is not.  In class, listen to others, participate, and be involved.  If you want to read the paper, talk to friends, or sleep — stay at home.  Finally, please turn off your cell phone in class. 

Make-ups:  There are no make-ups if you miss an exam or a report due date because of an unexcused absence.  An unexcused absence occurs when a student (1) did not obtain prior permission from the instructor concerning the absence or (2) did not provide documented evidence justifying the absence.  Documented evidence can be one of three things: (1) a note from a physician or nurse stating that you were sick and unable to attend class, (2) a letter from a funeral home or clergy on their letterhead indicating that you attended a memorial service, or (3) a letter from the Dean.  There are no exceptions to this policy.  There are absolutely no make-ups for quizzes or class participation credits.  If students miss these assignments, they will receive a zero (regardless of the circumstances, even if they have an excuse).

 

Incompletes:  Except for cases of documented medical or family emergencies, incompletes will not be given.  There is no need for you to do badly in this class: the instructor will be available for meetings and will answer e-mail questions promptly, and points are earned in small chunks rather than a couple of monstrous exams.  If students feel compelled to drop the class, please note that the last day to drop the course without a grade being posted is January 27.  The deadline for withdrawal from the course with a W is February 18, and the last day to withdraw from the University or to drop the class with a grade of WP or WF is April 25.  Please see the academic calendar information published by the Office of the Registrar for more, and official, details regarding these dates and university policies.

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Semester schedule

This is the breakdown of the semester day by day.  Assignments are due on the day listed.  In other words, the date associated with assignments reflects the due date, not the assignment date.  Reading assignments are either entire chapters from the Nelson text or readings from the reading packet (listed by authors).

 

Final exam: Thursday, May 1, 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.

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